clothes? No, that I was sure she would not, for she grudged me even the
little victuals which I did apply for. I thought this matter over and
over as I lay in bed. Ben had no money. Anderson I could not ask for it.
I thought that I would apply to Dr. Tadpole, but I was afraid. At last
it came into my head that I had better first ascertain how much money I
should require before I took further measures. The next morning I went
to a fitting-out shop, and asked the lad who attended how much money I
should have to pay for a pair of blue trousers, waistcoat, and jacket.
The lad told me that I might have a very nice suit for twenty-two
shillings. Twenty-two shillings! What an enormous sum it appeared to me
then; and then there was a straw hat to buy, and a pair of shoes and
stockings. I inquired the price of these last articles, and found that
my dross could not be made complete under thirty-three shillings. I was
quite in despair, for the sum appeared to be a fortune. I sat down to
calculate how long it would take me to save up so much money, at
sixpence a week, which was all that I could afford; but, at that time,
never having learned anything of figures, all I could make of it was
that it was so long a time as to be beyond my calculation.

It was Saturday evening. I sat down on the steps of the landing-place,
very melancholy, thinking that to-morrow was Sunday, and abandoning all
hopes of ever going to church, when a Thames fisherman, of the name of
Freeman, who lived at Greenwich, and with whom I was acquainted--for I
used to assist him on the Saturday night to moor his coble off the
landing-place, and hang up his nets to dry--called out to me to come and
help him. I did so; we furled the sails, hauled on board his little boat
for keeping the fish alive, hoisted the nets up to the mast, and made
all secure; and I was thinking to myself that he would go to church
to-morrow, and I could not, when he asked me why I was so sad. I told
him.